He Who Believes in Him Will Not Be Disappointed

Some people end up being disappointed in Jesus. They wrongly expect to have their every desire ( greed ) given to them. So, they are wanting physical, worldly things and imagine that Jesus will be some sort of sugar daddy to fulfill their pleasures. They have no respect or desire for the salvation Jesus came to give. But, instead, Jesus is what scripture says He is in Isaiah 28:16 and Romans 9:33,

Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.

These are opposite things: “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” and the promise that “he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Jesus is different things to different people. God planned it that way from the beginning. To those who are self-centered and bent on the “desirable” things of this world, Christ is nothing but “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”. He doesn’t meet up to their standards of a great and powerful, heavenly king. After all, He looked like any ordinary person and had to shamefully get hung on a cross. Some king. And — this preaching of repentance and faith is just embarrassing. Who wants to admit to their sins? Who wants to totally depend on someone like Jesus to save them from hell, of all things? Unbelievers are offended with the likes of Jesus, so they stumble over the truths of God’s way of salvation.

But, there’s that promise — “he who believes in Him will not be disappointed”. That word “disappointed” includes the meanings of being dishonored, disgraced, ashamed, and humiliated. Christians might be despised now on earth, but in the end, they “will not be disappointed” — they will not be dishonored, disgraced, ashamed, or humiliated.

In other words, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 will bring us a wondrous joy, as it shows,

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.

The little, weak, and unimportant people of faith in this world will “shame the wise” and “strong”. That’s mind-boggling. And, it’s only through God’s almighty power “that no man should boast before God.” Nobody has anything to crow about — neither believer nor unbeliever. Saving us from the punishment in hell that we deserve is totally a work of the grace, love, and mercy of God Almighty.

In the wonder of God’s love, we know we “will not be disappointed”, so we say, “Hallelujah! LORD, thank You for Your grace and mercy in leading us to faith in Your word.”